Audit of prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of isolated open spina bifida in three university hospitals in The Netherlands

Abstract

The current practice in The Netherlands of offering ultrasound screening to high-risk patients only leads to the early detection of a minority of cases of spina bifida. Most cases are diagnosed either after the 24th week of gestation or they remain undiagnosed until after birth. When spina bifida is diagnosed before the 24th week of gestation the vast majority of parents opt for termination. In order to reduce the birth prevalence of spina bifida in The Netherlands the introduction of a policy of routine ultrasound screening should be considered.